The surfactant in dental hygiene products serves many purposes They are used for their detersive, emulsifying and antimicrobial properties in addition to their foaming character Many consumers believe that high foam and rapid break-up indicate a superior cleaning ability.
The most commonly used surfactant in marketed dentifrices is sodium lauryl sulfate. It is readily available at low cost and generates a high foam. However, inclusion of this detergent in a dentifrice formulation requires the addition of high levels of costly flavor oils to mask the bitter taste of sodium lauryl sulfate itself.
Sodium lauryl sulfate also has been accused of generating a so called "orange juice effect". This effect may be detected as an unpleasant residual flavor note left in the mouth following the ingestion of orange juice after toothbrushing with a toothpaste containing the sodium lauryl sulfate Indeed, in psychophysical evaluation of the effect of sodium lauryl sulfate on the taste of citric acid, it was determined that the surfactant added a distinctly bitter component to the usual sour taste of citric acid In addition, it is also known that sodium lauryl sulfate and flavor oils are severe dermal irritants. Therefore, it would be advantageous to replace sodium lauryl sulfate with a surfactant or a combination of surfactants, which possess a mild taste, a low dermal irritation potential and foaming properties comparable to the oral composition containing sodium lauryl sulfate. Furthermore, the flavor oils level for this mild tasting dentifrice could be lowered significantly and thereby further reduce the dermal irritation potential of the oral composition and eliminate the so called "orange juice effect".